


of missing men found once again

by wartransmission



Series: of hearts unknown and names untold - a mafia AU [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Mafia AU, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 16:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12391812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wartransmission/pseuds/wartransmission
Summary: Yuuri knows that it's not his duty to find the missing heir of any families outside of his own, more so Alyona Nikiforova's only heir.Still, that doesn't mean he can'ttry.





	of missing men found once again

**Author's Note:**

> To ease up on the confusion, this one is a follow-up to [here is the beginning (of when you stole my heart)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11585709) for the Mafia AU! You'll probably have to read that one first to get the little references put into this fic.
> 
> This is also the English version of my previously posted [Tagalog sequel](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12257661), but that one is shorter!
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading!

_Pakhan’s Heir: In Hiding?_ reads the headline Yuuri’s cursor lands on.

“Yuuri,” Mari says, a warning tone to her voice as she catches him scrutinizing the online article with a disbelieving frown. She lays a hand on his shoulder in a firm grip, grounding him to his seat before he can do anything stupid. “It’s not our concern.”

“Not our-” the words die in his mouth in a choked sound when Mari gives him a stern look. He continues, frustrated at her easy dismissal of something so serious, “He’s not family, but he’s a man with _power_. That there is the possibility of him _missing-_ anyone would be concerned.”

She gives him a look as she takes her hand away, and says, “But that’s not why you’re worried.”

He swallows, jaw clenching as he turns away from her. He doesn’t have to lie when the truth is clear, especially given how much of an open secret it is that he admires the man. Choosing to remain quiet, he goes back to his online conversation with Phichit; it’s no surprise that he was the first one to inform Yuuri about the happenings with Alyona Nikiforova's  _Bratva._

Of course, Mari doesn’t settle for his silence willingly.

“So you’re going to ignore me now?”

“ _Mari-neesan,_ ” Yuuri says, teeth clicking as he clutches onto his mouse. He takes his hand away and clenches it on his lap before he can actually crush the thing, and says, “I’m not involving you, am I? I’m not even going out in the field to search for him. What’s wrong about this if the family isn’t involved?”

“ _You’re_ involved and you’re family, Yuuri.” Mari sighs, hand coming up to ease the furrow between her brows. After a moment of her making a show out of her disbelief, she asks, “Have you considered that he’s actually in hiding and doesn’t want to be found?”

“It’s not impossible,” Yuuri concedes, breathing out so he can release the tension building in his lungs. For all that he’s stubborn, he knows (at least, he likes to believe that he does) when to concede the point to someone else. “It’s the best-case scenario, given possible circumstances.”

There’s a moment of silence; Mari watches him, as though trying to gauge whatever it is he’s thinking. “Hey,” she says eventually, smile wry as she reaches out to ruffle his hair. He grumbles but only puts in minimal effort at swatting her away, knowing that she’ll let up soon enough. She says, once she’s pulled her hand away, “It’s fine to be worried, even if it _does_ make one question your loyalty.”

“I’m not- I’m loyal!” he cries, a pink flush rising to his cheeks as he audibly scoots his chair away from her reach. “I wouldn’t betray my family for anything!”

“Oho, really now,” she says, tone dry as she raises an eyebrow at him. Arms folded over her chest in what would be an intimidating pose to anyone else, she goes on to say, “You wouldn’t betray your own blood for Nikiforov?”

He makes a face at her. Given a weaker heart and a lack of love, he would have felt betrayed at her mistrust if he actually thought that this charade were anything but mere teasing. As it is, he knows that she’s only playing with him as a show of her affection, even if it may not seem like it.

Still, he grumbles as is routine, “I _wouldn’t._ ”

“And what about this search party you’re leading?” she inquires. She doesn’t look particularly interested, going by the bored way that she lights the cigarette she taps out from her pocket. “The expense involved?”

He makes a noise at the very concept. He’s concerned, sure, but he’s not going to waste his- in other words, his _family’s_ \- coffers. “Money won’t be involved,” he states firmly.

“But favors and debts will be,” she states casually, blowing out the smoke from her mouth. “And that’s almost the same thing, given our work. It would be even more of a waste if Nikiforov is only in hiding- and who knows just _what_ it is he’s hiding from, hm?” There’s a pause of silence, heavy and full with smoke as Yuuri stares unseeingly at the computer screen in front of him. Then, tone light, she asks, “So?”

He closes his eyes, sucking in a breath as he lets his head loll back in an imitation of man relaxed- which he isn’t, in any way. “I know,” he says, brows furrowing as he slides both hands up to his face, his palms forming a tent-like shape over his nose as he breathes out heavily. “I know that it’s pointless to try and find someone who might be in hiding. It could be harmful, even. But it doesn’t erase the possibility that he’s not hiding as he is _missing_.”

Mari laughs. The sound is raspy and dryly amused coming from her mouth, and Yuuri feels his face heat in embarrassment at what he knows she’s going to say.

Predictably, she teases, “And who has, for all this time, believed the man to be more god than human that he could take on anything?”

He doesn’t answer.

She sighs, rolling her eyes before taking another slow drag of her cigarette. After a soft blow of smoke, she says, “It’s not your job to look for him, Yuuri. His family must already be on that, even if it seems like they’re unconcerned. I can get why you’re worried, going by the stories Yuuko told me-”

“She _exaggerates_ , you know this,” he says, trying not to sound too desperate as he sits up and furiously flaps his hand at her in dismissal.

“Sure didn’t seem like it, going by how much you’re reacting,” she says with a disbelieving but fondly amused look.  “You’re telling me that Yuuko lied about the two of you dancing and having fun?”

Hesitantly, he murmurs, “Well, no…”

“So she’s lying about you dumping him.”

“Wh- no! I didn’t- that’s _ridiculous_ ,” he ends up insisting after his stuttering false starts. “He was just- I’m sure he was only joking.”

She blinks fractionally wider eyes at him in intrigue. “Oh?”

His nose wrinkles at the thought of having to recount anything to his sister. “It was nothing.”

“I won’t insist if you don’t want to say anything,” she tells him. He looks up at her to see if she’s being sincere- even when he knows he doesn’t have to. Out of everyone he knows, be it in his family or not, she’s the one person he knows won’t lie just to save his feelings. “Still,” she adds, looking fairly amused given her naturally bored state, “you’re telling me it didn’t mean anything that he never danced with anyone at the party again after you?”

“Maybe because no one bothered to ask?” he says dryly, and she- more pointedly- rolls her eyes at him. He adds, really only mildly annoyed at her casual dismissal of his truth, “There was no meaning to our dancing. I asked him to dance. We danced. That’s it- end of story.”

“The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks,” she recites.

He doesn’t answer. He _refuses_ to answer, because he knows that saying any more (with his red face and all) would only further prove her point. He already knows when he’s lost, even with his stubbornness; he’d only refuse the loss if it were anything else, against _anyone_ else.

Mari doesn’t complain nor does she make any move to stop him when he goes back to checking his conversation with Phichit. It doesn’t take long to read what he has to say- for all that Phichit makes a show of being seemingly verbose, he can get straight to the point given important matters.

As it is, with him having read through the messages he’s been sent, he’s not entirely certain if it would have better that his sister had not distracted him away from it.

 

 

> _terra_incognita:_ _i’m sorry, yuuri._
> 
> _terra_incognita: at most, i could find that there were rumors that viktor had run away_
> 
> _terra_incognita: even with the amount of influence i have, no one could offer me anything on whether or not he was kidnapped, he’s in hiding, etc._
> 
> _terra_incognita: the rumor that he ran away was something i just got from hearsay around the family too; it might not be credible as it is_
> 
> _terra_incognita: his family isn’t involved either; they’re just as concerned as you are, going by what i’ve been hearing from mila_
> 
> _terra_incognita: it might take me longer than two days to get anything substantial- but i promise i’ll let you know if i hear anything important_

 

Nothing.

There was _nothing_ to explain Viktor’s absence. If he had been in hiding, or if his family had been involved, Phichit would have certainly heard of it. Even the smallest of hints would have been enough- a hint that he’s gone for a while, that he has business to take care of, _anything_.

But even Mila, one of their strongest, is concerned.

If _that’s_ not a cause for concern, then he doesn’t know _what_ is.

“Give him a few days,” Mari tells him, tone unchanged in its frankness as she gives him a look from the corner of her eyes. “Good information doesn’t come in the first few tries, as you know.”

She doesn’t push, doesn’t awkwardly try to offer comfort with an embrace or any form of touch as a stranger would have, and he’s grateful for it. It’s a testament to how well she knows him that she doesn’t try to offer him empty hopes or kind words; he couldn’t have asked for a better sister like her, he’s sure.

“I know,” he says, after a few heartbeats of silence.

“I just hope that it’s not too late, by then.”

 

* * *

 

 

Yuuri had hoped that it was not too late, when he and Mari had last spoken. He had hoped, with all his heart, that Viktor’s time was not up before it could have ever truly began. He had hoped, despite the concern and general discouragement people had thrown at him purely due to Viktor not being family, that Viktor would be fine, unharmed, and safe.

He knows how selfish it is, to put even a fraction of his time towards someone who doesn’t know who he is. He _knows_ that it’s ill-advised, that it’s unheard of, that it’s patronizing in its own way because of how far away Viktor still is in terms of strategy and skill. But that’s exactly _why_ he cares: he’s barely ten steps away from meeting Viktor where he is, and he doesn’t want to lose the chance before it’s even open for his taking.

And yet.

 _And yet_.

Could it be, that there is such a thing as hoping for too much?

This is what he thinks, watching (more gawping at, really) the image of the handsome man before him, hair a brilliant silver and eyes as blue as cloudless skies as he gazes back at him. Then the image smiles, so heartbreakingly beautiful and inconceivably gentle, and Yuuri has to grasp at his sanity to reconcile the image of his idol sitting in the backdrop of their town library, his one and only sanctuary outside of the ice rink and home.

And, because his disbelief isn’t enough as it is, this man that looks exactly like his idol smiles a wider, more affectionate (?!) smile at him, before calling out sweetly, perfect pronunciation and all,

“ _Yuuri_!”

 

What has even _happened_ to his peaceful life (if peaceful is what life can be called, living the life of a literal criminal?)

**Author's Note:**

> Much love to my girlfriend for inspiring me to continue this (even tho, bafflingly enough, she doesn't like Mafia AUs at all??) ♥♥ love u babe!
> 
> And, as always, let me know if you liked it or if you have any suggestions in the comments! Thank you very much for reading! ♥


End file.
